$17M Expansion/Renovation Of Spring City Elementary School Moves Ahead

SPRING-FORD, PA —The Spring-Ford Area School Board voted 8-1 to move ahead with a $17.4 million project to renovate and add an addition to the Spring City Elementary School.

Board member David Schafer voted against the project.

The administration recommended moving forward with a plan to renovate the deteriorating school and construct a 7,000 square-foot addition.

The board approved the first phase of the project at its March 27th meeting. The first phase is the development of a floor plan for the expansion at a cost of $341,000.

In 1959, Spring City Elementary School opened and was renovated in 1995.

A tentative timeline calls for construction to begin in June 2024 and be complete by September 2025.

The expansion would provide capacity for future full-day kindergarten and improved educational programs.

The board reviewed several options,including closing the school.

The administration concluded the project avoids delaying necessary maintenance. A new school would cost an estimated $24 million.

Superintendent Robert W. Rizzo recommended moving ahead with the first phase of the project.

He said that closing Spring City limits the options for future growth, noting the rennovations would cost $10 million.

Board member Gabrielle Deardoff said she supports the plan to keep Spring City Elementary School open.